“When I was little, my mom used to bring boyfriends around and they’d try to get me to call them Daddy, but I never would. Not until Aaron came along. I was three then, and he was the only one I ever called Daddy. He was the one I picked. From then on, he pretty much took care of me, even though I wasn’t his biological child. He loved me just like I was his own kid. My mom could never clean up her act, so when I was twelve years old, he got legal custody of me and I moved to his house full-time. With my mom, I had lived in a really bad part of Memphis where there was a lot of substance abuse and it was dangerous to be outside even in the daytime, but with my dad I was safe.

“He was really proud of me. He always said it too. He was so proud that I graduated high school and so excited about me starting college. I’m the only one in my biological family to get even as far as eleventh grade. Without him, I probably would have ended up like all the other women in my family: out on the street, with five kids, living off the government. He gave me a reason to try. Because of him I got to participate in things at school like choir, color guard, and theater. He always put a roof over my head and food in my stomach. I never went hungry, and I’ve always had clothes. He taught me that a real dad doesn’t have to be your bio dad. A real dad is the person who takes care of you and loves you unconditionally.

“He was always single; he never married, and I was the only child he ever had, biologically or not. Of course I’m a girl, so he very much spoiled me, but he raised me to be strong and independent too. He always gave me good life lessons and instilled good values in me. I remember him saying, ‘Don’t get stuck on sad things. Move on.’ He instilled a really good work ethic in me too. He said, ‘Whatever you do, whether it’s school or a job, do your best.’ Basically, don’t be half-assed about it.

“This summer, my dad had a massive heart attack at work and passed away---he was only 45, which is really young for a person---so I’m kinda by myself now. That’s why I wanted to share this memory of him. He wasn’t just my dad. He was my everything. My best friend, my mentor, my rock. He was life itself. He gave my childhood back to me.

“I miss him a lot. We just had fall break and that made me think about how we used to go to the Smoky Mountains this time of year. Fall was his favorite season, when all the leaves were changing. We’d get away from the city and out into nature and just listen to the sounds of the woods and the water. It was wonderful.”

"I’m Mexican, Native American, Italian, and white. My dad was just white, so I didn't look anything like him. He taught me that family isn’t about blood relations or about color. It’s about love."

With Dad before junior prom (photo courtesy of Brianna):

"I’m majoring in biology, and I’d like to be a vet. When I was little and still living with my mom, I used to love animals. They were kind of an escape to me. They seemed so carefree and just did their own thing, no matter what the rest of the world was doing. They got the good life. I used to want to go live in the woods with them, like Pocahontas or something."